Cold Tide Alchemist
by MaskedMiss
Summary: I haven't been really happy with this story lately. I'll be going to be rewriting this fanfic but will leave this one up for anyone who still cares for it.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N:** _Alright, this is my first FanFic. I'm not usually a big fan of this sort of stuff, but I couldn't get the story out of my mind. Well, I hope you enjoy_ ;)

* * *

Adelle sat across from Wendy, staring out the train's window. It was the first time in her life she'd ever left Central. Wendy had long fallen asleep, but Adelle's racing heart kept her from doing the same. She fiddled with the pocket watch she defiantly put around her neck. She had impressed even the fuehrer with her demonstration. "Just like Fullmetal," they had said. Why had they said that, she wondered. If it was their ability to transmute without a circle, then at least she wasn't the only one in the military who had performed an alchemist's greatest taboo.

She had been put under the command of Colonel Roy Mustang, who also mentioned Fullmetal, but she was too ashamed to ask. Mustang looked at her as if he were fully aware of her situation, even if no marker of her mistake could be seen. It was unnerving, but it was quick. He had given her the piece of paper with her title—the Cold Tide Alchemist they had dubbed her—and then sent her on her first mission.

Wendy yawned and began to stretch, slowly opening her eyes. "Are we there yet?" she asked.

Adelle shook her head, "but soon enough," she said.

"You know, your hair is a mess," Wendy said laughing.

"It's curly, it's supposed to look messy," she retorted, taking it more seriously than she should have.

"Not the look I'd expect from the 'Cold Tide Alchemist,' though," Wendy said. She loved to taunt her older sister for her hair. It was Adelle's pride and joy, and to mock it was a serious matter to her. "Hey, Adelle, why'd they name you that anyway?"

"Because I moved the water of a pool and froze it. It wasn't that great, but apparently it was a good enough show for the judges," she shrugged. She didn't like hearing questions about her alchemy, especially not from her sister.

The train began to slow. And the few attendants stood up. Adelle and Wendy took their luggage and walked quickly out onto the platform.

"What's this place called again?" Wendy asked.

"Resembool," Adelle said. "Come on, let's go," she said and took off.

"Hey, not fair!" Wendy chased after her. Adelle stopped when she saw Wendy catching up. She put her hands on her knees and started to pant, feigning fatigue. "Cheater," Wendy sneared.

Adelle stood up again and smiled at her little sister. "You're just a sore loser. Now let's act professional, this is my first mission and I don't want to screw it up."

"What is it you're supposed to do again?"

"I need to escort some man. His name's Edward Elric. It sucks, though, I thought I'd be seeing some action when I join the military, but instead I'll be taking some pansy back to central. Well, whatever, I don't care anyway."

There were few people on the road. Adelle stopped a few, asking them for the Elric residence, but they only glared at the watch. They kept their mouths shut, though.

"Maybe you should take off the watch," Wendy suggested as she stared at the woman who had just passed them by. "Nobody here seems to like the military."

"Not too different from Central then," Adelle laughed. She picked up her hair with one hand and pulled the chain over her head with the other. The next person they encountered smiled and even shook their hand. "We were hoping you could help us," Adelle began.

"Sure thing, do you need a place to stay?" the blond girl said.

Before Adelle could open her mouth to decline, Wendy nudged her with her elbow. It was doubtful there was any inn or hotel they could stay at, and they might not come across someone else so kind as this girl. Adelle nodded. They could question her later, at least after they eat.

"Oh, come with me, then. There's plenty of room at my place. My name's Winry, by the way."

"I'm Adelle Lakefield, and this is my little sister, Wendy. It's a pleasure to meet you—and lucky. We didn't know where we were going to stay."

Winry laughed. "Well, it's no problem. You don't happen to need any automail by any chance?" Adelle cocked her brows and shook her head. "Oh, I'm sorry. It's just that I'm an automail mechanic, so it's a natural question for me."

"You're a mechanic?" Wendy asked, excited. Adelle began to trail behind the two as they continued to walk. "Our brother was one too. He was obsessed—he had his own shop and everything."

"Really? Where—Rush Valley?"

"No, we lived in Central."

"You know, maybe I can meet your brother some time—two automail enthusiasts; what can be better?"

"You can't," Adelle said from behind. Her voice had grown hoarse in just a few moments. "He's dead."

Winry stopped. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean—"

"It's okay," Wendy said. "Don't worry about it. It would've been nice, though, I'm sure you would have liked him," she tried to change the mood, but Winry talked very little the rest of the way.

"Well, we're here," Winry smiled. It was a two story, yellow country house. It was beautiful, and by far bigger than any house they'd been in. When she opened the door to let them in, they could smell the stew, beckoning them to the kitchen, but they refrained. "Granny, I brought some guests!" she shouted, her hand cupping one side of her mouth. "Follow me, dinner should be done by now," she said.

The dining room was simple. One paining and a plant in two separate corners, and the table was plain as well. A boy, and old lady, and a man in armor sat at the table. The young, gold-haired boy looked up for a moment before continuing to stuff his face. The armored man didn't even have a plate in front of him.

The old lady and the man stood and greeted them both politely. It was rather odd the way the man spoke, though. He sounded like a child.

"Ed, at least say hi, you rude little pipsqueak," Winry said.

"Who are you calling a pipsqueak?"

"Don't worry about it, it's okay," Wendy said, waving her hands in front of her and shaking her head.

"Well, sit down and eat, there's enough—that is if the pipsqueak doesn't eat it all," the short, old lady said. "My name's Pinaco, by the way, and these two boys are Edward and Alphonse," she said as she took a seat. Winry, Adelle, and Wendy followed suit.

"Edward?" Adelle whispered. "Is it Elric," she asked.

"So you've heard of us, huh?" Ed asked, a cocky smirk plastered on his face.

"Actually, yes. We're supposed to escort you back to Central," Adelle said. This really was a lucky encounter. "Mustang sent us."

"What? I don't need an escort, I'm fine. My automail's been fixed and I can defend myself perfectly fine. And who are you to be escorting me anyway?"

"The name's Adelle Lakefield, the Cold Tide Alchemist."


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N:** _ I really didn't think I'd be taking this seriously, but since I got quite a few readers, then, I guess I'll continue to update as regularly as possible. I really hate it when someone writes something just to leave us hanging. Thank you all for your support; here's the second chapter (sorry for the slow pace, but expositions usually are that way)_

_VeekaIzhanez and NekoHatake, thank you for your reviews, and I'll be updating, hopefully, by next weekend._

* * *

Despite Edward's immature attitude, it was clear that Adelle and Wendy had become unwanted guests. The brothers didn't want to go to Central; if they did, they would have been there by now. Adelle realized, however, that Mustang had sent her to drag him back, not to protect him. They were invaders come to enslave the people of this house.

Still, they had been given a room to sleep in. There was only one bed, so she was given blankets and a pillow to sleep on the floor. She really had become a dog. But it was nothing more than she deserved. She wouldn't be able to sleep even on a couch knowing the discomfort she had brought on the family.

But the floor was no place for her to sleep, either. She spent the night tossing and turning. She couldn't decide whether it was hot or cold, and the moon seemed brighter than usual. And those noises—shuffling, thump-thumps, and distant whispers kept her eyes wide open. What was it? she wondered. Slowly, though, it registered in her mind. The whispers and the footsteps came together to form a conclusion. They were packing, and they were leaving.

She jumped up, and in a nightgown Winry had been kind enough to lend her, ran down the hall. They wouldn't hear her; she was barefoot and too professional at moving silently. She caught them at the window.

"Shit, Al, let's go!" Ed called down to his brother, tossing down his suitcase and jumping down after them.

"Oh, no you don't!" She didn't have the advantage of automail, but she clapped her hands and pressed the palm of her hands against the window sill, making the wall go out, forming a slide. She ran down, almost falling from the steepness of her creation.

She was so close! But Edward was still yards away. Then she stopped. Again she clapped her hands and a wall appeared before the older Elric. He stopped and looked back at her.

"You didn't use a circle," it wasn't even a question. She froze in place, unable to move. How much does he know? The thought just repeated itself within her mind, each time with more emphasis and vigor. Then he clapped his hands and touched his left hand. The top of the automail transformed into a wide, double-edged knife in a lightning blue light. He was going to fight. "Let's see how fast you are!"

He ran forward, and began to swing at her with his left. She jumped back five times. He was too quick. She tripped and fell back, Edward just missing her. He lunged at her, but she rolled out the way. There wasn't enough time to attack. He kept her busy.

Then he barely missed her stomach, tearing at the night gown. "Are you trying to kill—" she started, but then jumped out the way again.

"Are you going to follow?" he said between attacks.

"Mustang—"

"Yes or no?"

"Yes!" She ducked. Finally, an opportunity; she kicked sideways, her hands and left foot holding her weight. She knocked him down. He was on the floor, but before he could stand he jumped on top, clapped her hands and touched the automail. It turned into a melted mess instantly.

"What the hell did you do?" Edward said, shaking his left arm, staring at the deformed metal.

"Brother!" the huge, clanking armor came running to his brother's side. He slowed his pace when he realized what had happened. He stopped and put his arms up, ready to fight. "Let my brother go," he said.

"Look, I don't want to fight, but I don't want to screw up my first mission either. Mustang sent me to make sure the runt got to Central first thing, and that's what I'm going to do."

"Who are you calling a half-pint, bean-sized maggot?"

"No one said that, now shut up!" she said glaring down at him.

"Adelle, I hope you can understand there's somewhere we have to go first," Al continued. His voice was so soothing, and eerily like a child's.

Adelle shook her head. "I can't. I'm really sorry, but I just got my watch, and I need to prove to the state that I'm worth something. Teenagers don't usually get enlisted to be state alchemists, you know?"

"Wait, did you just say you're a state alchemist?" Al asked.

"That's right. I'm the second to ever be accepted so young," she tried not to grin, but pride swelled her head.

"Brother, can you believe it!" Al said. He was ecstatic, but Ed remained quiet. "Brother?"

Adelle looked down at Edward. His face was awfully red, and his eyes focused. Slowly it registered in her mind. "You pervert!" She slapped him and jumped to his feet.

"It wasn't my fault," he yelled. He was still blushing, but he had stood up and turned around. She heard him clasp his hand with the now cylindrical metal, and then saw a spark of light. He turned to them, his arm back to normal. "And we're not leaving with you," he crossed his arms.

"Mustang said you'd be difficult. He told me to deliver an important message if you were—'philosopher's stone.' Is that code for something?"

Edward and Alphonse stiffened. "Do you think he's lying, brother?" Al asked.

"It could be a lie to get us there," Edward said. "Damn, that bastard cornered us again. He knew we'd go either way." He growled and glared at the ground. "But why did he have to send some inexperienced little girl?"

"Little girl? Well, at least I'm still big enough to kick your sorry ass!"

"What is that supposed to mean!"

"It means I won," she put her hands at her hip and laughed hysterically. "Now, since you already seem to be packed and ready to go, we'll take the first train to Central tomorrow."


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N:** _Thank you Shugochara and Dory-Tox for the reviews. As you wished, here is the third chapter, and hopefully you'll the rest that are to come. Here it is picking up a little more paste, but I try to keep the chapters short. I mean, most of us have plenty to do in a day and we can't just sit reading stuff on a computer screen for half an hour, right? Anyhow, let me know if there's any ideas, or something you would like to see happen or something, I don't know...  
_

* * *

The train started to move, the force pushing Adelle back a little. It had caught her off guard. She hadn't slept as much as she'd like to last night. Despite the Elric brothers agreeing to go to Central, she was uneasy. They could have easily been lying, so she staid alert the whole night, occasionally wandering the hall. She'd never go inside their room to check, but she'd put her ear against the door. The snoring would always reassure her.

Wendy had never even noticed the fight that had occurred the night before. She had slept soundly all through the night, while Adelle couldn't even close her eyes. Now she was complaining about her insane hunger. They had eaten a sufficient breakfast before leaving at the Rockbelle's, but 'sufficient' is never enough for her little sister.

Edward laughed at Wendy's complaints, shamelessly showing her the food that Winry had packed for him. Winry, she thought. The girl seemed oddly protective of the two, but she seemed especially close to Ed. Adelle smiled. She had felt that way towards Daniel, too. But he had been older, more mature and serene in temper. He had always kept his cool—except when _she_ died. Her smile fell.

"And what's wrong with you?" Edward said, stuffing his mouth with dumplings.

"Nothing, why?" she said, smiling again. She might not possess a lot of talents, but at least lying was one of them.

He swallowed hard and then grinned, his teeth displaying remains of the dumplings. "Oh, nothing; just thought you'd be happier—the famous Fullmetal allowed you to defeat him in battle!"

"Fullmetal? I've never even met him."

"You're kidding, right?" His eyes became big, and his voiced cracked. Then his temper came back. "I'm Fullmetal, you idiot!"

"Really?" Wendy momentarily forgot her hunger. She had a great smile plastered on her face, and her eyes were glimmering as they looked at Ed, her hands folded as if in prayer. "I always thought you'd be taller, but you look cute this way, too!"

Edward growled. "Stop calling me small!"

"Excuse me," a woman said, standing in the middle of the aisle. Her voice was soothing, and all of them looked up at once, silent. Her face was somewhat contorted, her hand holding to her shirt over her left breast. "I can't find my daughter, can you please help me," she said.

"Of course we will!" Alphonse jumped up. "Come on, brother, let's help her."

"Sure, why not? She must still be on the train, though. She couldn't have gone far," Edward said. "We'll check over there, and you can go with her and check the other carts on that side," he said, pointing to each direction as he explained.

"What? No, I'm not letting you two go that away easy," Adelle said, standing up, glaring daggars at Ed. "I'll go with you two. Wendy, you go with the woman," she said, her voice strict. She wasn't the type that expected opposition, and definitely the one to accept it.

"We don't need a babysitter!"

"Okay, how about, I go with Ed, and you go with Al," Wendy said, chipper as always.

"Fine," Adelle said crossing her arms. Edward didn't say anything, but he did the same and crossed his arms, closed his eyes and turned his head. "Come on, miss, I'll find your daughter before he does," she said, leading the woman and Alphonse down the train. Edward pulled Wendy down with him the opposite way.

"We should check under seats and ask anyone we find," the woman said. "If we continue alone we can cover more ground quicker," Alphonse and Adelle nodded in agreement. "Al, was it?" the woman asked, a smile on her face. "Why don't you do this one, we'll go on ahead."

"No, wait, I don't trust him on his own."

"It's okay, he looks like a very trusting boy," she had certainly already won Alphonse over. Adelle swore she could even see a bit of blush on the metal's face, or a gleam in the armor's hollow eyes.

"Fine, but you better not try any funny stuff."

Adelle and the woman walked to the next cart. There was absolutely no one there. She began to bend over seats and on the floor, looking around to see if the little girl was perhaps crouching some place. "Well I don't see her here," she said.

Before she could even get up the woman pounced on her, pinning her arms as well as the rest of her body to the ground. The weight was incredible, more than she'd ever expected from that petite woman. But she began to transform. Her soft, brown hair turned into long, dark green spikes, and her face, though remaining somewhat feminine was clearly a boy's. Her—or rather, his outfit changed as well into a black midriff and some sort of short-skirt.

"Who the hell are you?" she spat at the man.

"Oh, why aren't you spunky? I had expected the Cold Tide alchemist to be a little more controlled, colder. But enough about you; my name's Envy," he said, arrogance dripping from his voice. "I know a lot about you, though."

"You wish—"

"You were twelve when you tried to bring your brother back. You failed and lost that dumb little friend of yours. But you lost more, didn't you?" His face had gotten uncomfortably close to her's.

"Back off. I don't know what you're talking about!"

"Yes you do. It's the same feeling you get when you wake up from a dream, you can still feel the emotions you had felt in it, and you're certain something important happened, but you can't remember a single thing. You lost something in that gate, too, something important. I can help you get it back."

"If you know so much, why not tell me what I lost?"

"I could, but that'd hardly be equivalent exchange. How about a kiss?" Her immediate reaction was to spit on him, and that was what she did. "You disgusting, useless human! You're going to pay for that!" He let go of one of her arms and took a quick blow at her face. She could taste the blood already. He was swift to take her arm back and hold it down. "No, that would've been a plus. I need you to watch the Elrics for us, though."

"You idiot, I'm already doing that."

He shook his head. "You're going to team up with the little squirt, and whenever we give you orders, you will follow them."

"Who's we? And why should I listen to you?"

"Because you've been looking for the philosopher's stone, too. I can help you find it. Just do as I say and you'll have your normal life again, just like you wanted. I'll be in touch with you soon," he said, and quickly jumped off of her, and running out the opposite exit. She saw a glimpse of him jumping out. Could he have survived that fall?

"Adelle!" Alphonse came in. He looked around, a little perplexed. "Where is she? What happened to your face?"

"Oh, I tripped and hit myself against the seat. As for the woman, we found her daughter. She went to sit back with her husband. She asked me to thank you all," she said, without a single stutter or flinch. Lying was her art.

"That's great! We should tell brother and Wendy, but maybe we should patch that up first. It doesn't look very good."


	4. Chapter 4

**A/N:** _This is a pretty short chapter, just barely two pages on Word. Anyhow, here we get some more details about Adelle's past, so I hope you find it interesting._

_Dory-Tox, I'm glad you're liking the story. So far, you're my only consistent reviewer. I'm curious to know what's going to happen as well, since I don't have anything actually planned; it makes writing fanfics more interesting, I think, since most of the characters and mood and such has already been set up by the original._

_Riss, you're too kind, I'm afraid, but so long as you're enjoying the story, I'm glad.  
_

* * *

"I'm so glad we're back," Adelle said, stretching her whole body with her hands over her head. "We should go back home once we drop them off, right?" she asked Wendy.

Ed and Al had been oblivious to their conversation until they were mentioned. "What?"

"We have to take you to Mustang," Adelle said, "and then we're going to our place to eat."

"Oh, thanks for inviting us!" Edward said, a smirk on his face.

"I meant we as in me and Wendy."

"But, Addy, come on! It'll be fun. I can cook enough for all of us. It's been a while since I've cooked for four," Wendy was obviously already fallen for the idea of having guests. She started to list of all the things she could make and the ingredients she would need.

But Edward had turned his attention away. His head was down, his hair covering his face, and his hand over his mouth. Adelle heard him snicker, until he couldn't hold it and just burst out laughing. "What's your problem now?"

"Addy?" he said between laughs.

Adelle growled and just walked on ahead. "Wendy, go home, we'll come later," she said, not bothering to look back. Edward and Alphonse followed her out the train station, the snickers not completely faded. She ignored it, though. She moved forward without so much as looking at them, and by the time they reached the base, they wouldn't even speak.

They made their way through the halls, passing a few people, all wearing the same blue uniform. The building had large windows and it didn't lack light, but it felt so solemn. When people spoke, they used their normal voices, but it sounded awkward, like someone trying to be happy in a hospital. Most didn't talk, though. They walked by themselves, usually carrying papers with them, or sometimes just in a rush.

She knocked at the door and heard the okay to go in. "Colonel Mustang, sir," she said upon entering. The Elric brothers shuffled behind her. She hadn't looked at them, but she felt their silence and seriousness grow heavier with every step they took nearer to this office. "Here are the Elric brothers, I'll bring the report on the mission tomorrow morning; I'll go work on it now."

"No, wait," he said, his eyes squinted more than usual. "Please, feel free to take a seat." No one did. "There's a matter I have to speak with you about, Tide," he said. His gloved hands were folded, holding his head up. "Fullmetal, you should wait outside."

"What? You dragged us back here just to make us wait in the hall?"

"I won't ask again," Mustang said menacingly. Reluctantly Edward left the office. "He did the same thing, you know," Mustang said. "We keep it under the rug, and I'm willing to do the same with you."

"I'm sorry, sir, but I'm a little lost."

"You saw the gate, didn't you? Who was it? Why?" She gasped, stepping back. He did know. "Like I said, I won't say anything. What's interesting, though, is that you seem perfectly fine to me. You have all your limbs, you're in good health. What did you give up?"

She shook her head, her hands balled into fists. She kept her eyes shut to keep the tears from flowing. "No, I, sir—"

"Whatever it is you lost, I can help you. The Elric brothers are searching for the Philosopher's stone themselves. It's why they took this job. Tell me, why did you decide to become a state alchemist?"

"He wanted to be a state alchemist," she said, her voice low and suddenly very calm. "He said he'd be the best, and I—" the tears rolled down freely now. She had to speak between gasps as she cried. "I took it away from him. I took it from my brother, too. It was all my fault!"

"What did you take—"

"They're dead because of me! All they did was help us, and I was always so selfish. I pushed them both into a grave," she paused. "Well, at least my brother had something to burry."

"I see," Mustang said. "You tried to bring your brother back, and this friend of yours was the one who paid the toll. Well, I'm sorry to hear that. Even with the philosopher's stone you don't stand a chance of bringing them back," he said.

"Don't you think I know that! I've already tried once, I'm not going to harm someone else just to repeat the same mistake."

"I'm glad we understand each other. Don't worry, I'll keep my mouth shut; I'd like to keep you, if that's alright. I'll speak again with you later—oh, and don't worry about the report, paperwork is just a formality anyway," he said with a smile. Adelle wiped the tears away and nodded. "You can send them in, now."

She left, and found Ed and Al smiling at her, both facing opposite directions.

"You can go in now," she said, her voice hoarse. "Dinner's at five."


	5. Chapter 5

**A/N:** _Okay, I definitely didn't expect this to be six pages long. In this chapter you get to see what the relationship between Adelle and Wendy is really like. It's definitely not as ideal as the Elric brothers' that's for certain. Now, on to the reviews:_

_I have a fan! Thank you, Riss, this is definitely high praise indeed. Hopefully, as the story develops, you'll remain a fan, but I can only hope =)_

_Jcurry, I'm glad you're liking it. As for which the fanfic is based off of, I'd like it to follow more of the new anime, as far as villains and such goes, but we'll see; that could very well change. Also, the manga (as well as the anime remake) does has a more intricate plot and you see more places than you in the first anime. Still, elements, such as Adelle's missing memory is an obvious marker of the influence that the first anime has had on me.  
_

* * *

Their home was nothing close to what she believed to be the grandeur of country houses. It was a small apartment on the second of a three floor building. The stairs were steep, and all the halls were narrow and lacked any natural light. No neighbors greeted each other, much less smiled.

But it was their home. In their small apartment, Wendy always pulled up the curtains of their small windows and opened them up. Her cooking always filled the house, the smell often clinging on any fabric. For that reason, they locked up any misplaced clothes in one of the two rooms. Only one room was ever used. The other hadn't been touched in three years. There were also nails protruding from random places on the walls. Framed faces and smiles used to hang there. Wendy never asked her older sister to put the pictures back up; they had been hidden away for a reason.

The sun had not yet begun to set when they heard a knock at the door. Adelle had been napping on a couch and was reluctant to even sit up. "I'll get it," she called to Wendy. Wendy was still hard at work in the kitchen.

She walked over and looked through the little peep-hole, seeing Ed and Al's heads bigger than in person. She opened the door and tried to muster a smile. "You're early," she said. "I haven't even set up the table."

"Early? But I'm hungry now!" Ed complained. His speech sounded strained, though. He was forcing his laughter and smile as much as she, it seemed.

"Well, come in already, I'm holding the door open forever," she said, ushering them in.

She saw Ed and Al looking around; the nails on the walls, the small, square table for four, not far from the couch in the living room. The place was small, but not stuffy. All their furniture was proportionate to the size of the apartment, so there was enough room to walk around and such.

"You two live here all by yourselves?" Al asked.

Adelle knew that wasn't what he wanted to know. "Our mother's gone and so is our brother," she said. "Sit down, I'll set up the table real quick," she said.

They did as they were told, sitting stiffly on the couch that was placed diagonally, facing a recliner seat. Why did they keep looking around, she wondered. What could be so amazing to them? Were they just astonished by how small it was? She shook her head and proceeded putting the plates and forks and knives on the table.

"Oh, hi, guys! Wait until you taste my food, you'll just love it!" Wendy said, just noticing the brothers from the kitchen.

"Way to be modest," Ed said with a laugh. "What're you making?"

"Just some stew, but I'm making this really great banana cream pie for desert." There was a ding and she turned back to the oven. "There it is," she said, turning a dial, and then opening the oven to check on it. "But it'll have to wait." She kept stirring the stew. She put some of it on her hand from the spoon and tasted it. "Alright, let's eat!"

Edward didn't waste time running to the table, but Alphonse was obviously more uncomfortable. He took a seat, but only stared at the bowl of stew Wendy put in front of him.

Mustang's words came back to her, "He did the same thing."

They both did the same as her. She gasped, and everyone turned to her. She laughed it off. "Darn, I burned myself," she said blowing on her finger after setting her own bowl down. Seemed as if they bought it; they turned back to their conversation. But she couldn't ignore it. The armor was empty—that image of the hollow Alphonse wouldn't desert her. And his arm and leg, Edward had lost them, he had automail.

But Alphonse loss was more than perplexing to her. She thought of him; that boy who swore he'd give everything to bring her brother back, to protect Wendy. He had lost his body, as well. But how did that child rescue his soul? Why couldn't she have done the same?

"What's wrong Al? You know, I really wanted you to taste it," Wendy said with a smile, sipping from her own stew.

"Well, you see, I—uh," Alphonse put his hand behind his head in apparent shame. Poor boy, Adelle thought.

"Oh, that's right, Wendy, I forgot to tell you, this boy here is allergic to chicken, potatoes, and bananas too," Adelle said, covering quickly for Al. Ed let out a subtle sigh, apparently not understanding what Adelle's words meant.

Wendy glared at Adelle. "Why didn't you tell me sooner? Al, I can cook something else—it'll be quick," she said turning to Al with a smile. "Just tell me what you'd like."

Al shook his head nervously. "No, no, it's okay. We ate a little before coming here anyway, I'll be fine. Brother just has a big appetite."

Wendy sighed and looked down at her bowl. "Oh," she said. Adelle found her reaction very curious. "Then I won't eat either," she said, looking back up again, smiling.

"Wendy, don't do that," Adelle said, but Wendy just glared at her. As far as she knew it was all her fault she hadn't cooked any proper meal for Alphonse.

"Well, I'll just take that," Ed said, putting his empty bowl aside and taking Wendy's.

With Edward's gluttonous appetite, dinner was over before nightfall. He ate four bowls of stew and, except for the one piece Adelle took for herself; he ate all the rest of the pie. By the end of it he was slumped in his seat, his head back with a stupid smile on his face.

"Does he always eat this much?" Wendy asked.

"Afraid so," Al said, laughing.

Adelle stood up and began to pick up the dirty plates. Al immediately did the same, taking some of the plates before Adelle could protest. "Thanks," she said, as they dumped them into the sink. "You two are welcomed to stay if you'd like," her offer was more out of courtesy than out of sincerity, and Alphonse sensed that.

"No, we should be heading back. Brother is a bit of a handful after such a big meal."

"Okay, I'll show you both out, then," she said. She wanted to speak with them privately. Al nodded and went back to pick up his brother. Ed stood up, made clumsy by his own weight. "Wendy, can you do the dishes? I'll be back in a moment," Adelle said, opening the door for the two brothers and following them out. She stopped once they were in the stairwell. "You heard it all," her voice echoed.

"How did you know?" Ed didn't seem genuinely surprised. He didn't even turn back to look at her.

"You didn't ask about the nails on the walls. Everyone always asks about that," she said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "But you two did the same as me. Let me ask you, how did you save your brother?"

"He gave him his arm for me," Al said. "And he bound me to this suit of armor. I carried him, bleeding to the Rockbelle's."

"You say it as if it were such a tragedy, Alphonse. It would've been worse if he hadn't given anything up for you," she said. "Who did you try to bring back?"

"Our mother," Ed said. "And you? You still have your sister, how did you manage that?"

"She's not an alchemist. She doesn't even know that I tried to bring our brother back. She doesn't know that the boy I thought I loved had sacrificed himself to bring him back. He did it for her, too. He had an insane crush on Wendy," she chuckled, but there was nothing funny about it. "His parents left after he 'disappeared' and I told her that they had all just moved."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Ed said. "But why didn't you tell her?"

"I couldn't—I can't. I promised I'd bear this alone. You two are the only ones I've told, so promise you'll keep your mouths shut."

"We promise," he said. "Come on, Al."

"No, you can't do this. She has a right to know!"

"Al, this isn't any of our business," Ed said, turning around and glaring at his brother. "Now, let's go."

"No!"

"Look, just because I made a mistake doesn't mean that she has to suffer for it. If I tell her she'll only blame it on herself. I know my sister better than you, Alphonse. I know what I'm doing."

"No you don't. You're sisters, you're supposed to be there for each other, like me and brother."

Adelle smiled down at him and shook her head. "You two are a rare situation. Truth is, not all siblings are so close as you. Just remember this, you both shared in your mistakes. We didn't, in fact, for a long time, I saw Wendy as a rival rather than a friend. She was the spoiled little girl that everyone wanted to keep from lifting a finger. I was supposed to clean, cook, work, study, do everything while my brother did the same. Wendy only went to school and spent time with friends. My older brother, Jonathan, would scold me any time I would try to put her to work. For a long time, I hated her for it. She was so innocent."

"That's no reason—" Al began,

"Not to you it isn't, because you were always trying to help your brother. You two were brought up and treated as equals, but I felt like a slave. While I had to give up school, she refused to even study. I ended up studying at any free time I had. I even found myself an alchemy teacher. But she took everything for granted. She didn't even seem to mind our mother was a drunken whore!" Adelle was adamant. All the anger and pain she had suppressed since she had reason started to come out, and the words that came out of her mouth shocked her most of all. "Everyone I ever met, especially my brother, fought to keep her as happy as possible. I'm not going to destroy all their hard work by telling her about… what I did," she said.

"At least you don't hate her," Edward said. "But if that's true why'd you join the military?"

"What do you mean?"

"You say you want to keep her happy, but I think you want to die just as much," he said.

Adelle turned around and started back up the stairs. "No, it just pays very well," she said.


	6. Chapter 6

**A/N:** _Alright, I don't have much to say here, but, as you can see, this is a very short chapter. Now, onward to the reviews:_

_iloveme,_ _thanks for the pointer. I hadn't realized it was so rushed. Usually my writing tends to be slow (to the point of being boring for some people) so I tried hurrying this one up a bit. I'll certainly watch out for the opposite, as well, though._

_Riss, yeah, I'm going to screw up their lives as much as possible, so yes: very "poor girl."_

_Bookits, (I love your name, by the way), I'm glad you're liking, so here's your update. Summer's coming soon, so I'll definitely put up quick updates._

_Jcurry, yes, the relationship between the Lakefield sisters is pretty different. As for those questions you might have... well, let me just say a few more questions might come before everything get's answered. Hopefully this will interest you long enough to find out xD  
_

* * *

"But why can't I come too?" Wendy asked, her voice high pitched and child-like. "I went with you last time!"

Adelle stopped packing and ran her hand down her face, exasperated. "Wendy, I told, it's too dangerous. I'm going to the East—"

"We just came from the East; it's not dangerous at all!"

"That's because we went to some unheard, little, rural town. This time we're being dispatched to Liore. That place has already been deemed unstable. I'm not going sightseeing, Wendy, I'm going to work," she said, already losing her patience.

Wendy sighed, defeated. "What will you be doing over there, then?"

"Mustang said there have been sightings of Scar there, but we can't be sure. We're just going there to investigate, but it's full of soldiers patrolling the streets there. I heard there's been conflict between the people there because of some priest, but I don't know any specifics," Adelle said. She continued folding and packing.

"A priest? But they're supposed to be good people," Wendy said. "Like Mr. Blakely. Brother took us to the temple every week, remember?"

Adelle stopped, but she kept looking down at her stuff. She didn't really remember. All she had was a vague impression. "No, I never went. He only took you," she had her brows furrowed in concentration. Yes, that's what had happened, she thought.

Wendy shook her head. "No, you came sometimes, at first."

"Do you remember what happened? Why I stopped coming?"

"You mean you don't remember?" Adelle looked up, smiled, and shook her head. "Well, there was a lady who had talked to Mr. Blakely that day. She had a daughter who was sick but she didn't have money to buy the medicine. Brother gave all our money to her, and after that you got so angry that—well, I'm sure remember the rest."

She did. That was why she had run away; that's why she left to the North. "It was stupid of him. We just scraped by ourselves, we're not the ones that are supposed to donate that kind of money. What did we ever get back, anyway?"

"That lady took care of me for free when you left, after Mama died."

Adelle began to stutter. Why had she been so angry then? They were always able to feed themselves, so why had she been so angry with her brother? Why couldn't she remember?

She saw Envy's face flash through her mind. "You lost something in that gate, too," he had said. He had been right about everything else as well—about that feeling when one forgets something important. What did she lose, she wondered. Well, at least now she's with the Elrics, and no doubt be meeting Envy again soon.


	7. Chapter 7

**A/N:** _This chapter is "eh" so don't expect too much._

_Riss, where I live, school's almost out and I never bother to study for exams, so I have quite a bit of free time on my hands._

_Evil Robina, DramaQueen, and Pi-or-Pie, glad you like the story and I'll try to keep updating as often as I do._

_Dory-Tox, no worries. As Riss pointed out I update quite often, so I understand if you can't go and read it every time. I'm just happy it's held your interest-and same goes for you Jcurry._

_IceFire, I let you know now, I know I might not have been as obvious as I wanted too (but I also wanted to be subtle), but yes, she lost her memory. Don't worry, I'm not spoiling anything. It's the memories she lost that would be the real spoiler.  
_

* * *

The train ride had been a silent and depressing one. Only Alphonse would occasion to speak, and even then it was only out of courtesy. Ed just stared out the window. It was obvious they weren't telling her something, but she wasn't going to ask. Whatever qualms they had about Liore, it was theirs alone.

Getting off the train was the worst, though. She had never been to the desert before and only had a vague notion of the definition of 'hot.' Now she was fully aware. It wasn't the humid, muggy heat she knew from the city. It was dry, her throat and mouth drying almost instantly, it seemed. There was not a cloud in the sky and the sun was relentless.

There were very few people at the station, with the exception of some soldiers just wandering about. It wasn't until they went out into the streets that they saw there were soldiers with guns patrolling everywhere. The locals walked with their heads down, glaring at the soldiers from the corners of their eyes. Some seemed to recognize Ed and Al, though the reactions were drastic; while some smiled and even bowed or curtsied, other purposefully bumped into Edward. They didn't try messing with Al.

What was even more surprising was that Ed didn't complain. He might have glared back, but he didn't say a word to those who insulted him. Something was up, she knew.

"Ed, don't you think it's too hot for that stupid coat?" Adelle said, the heat making her irritable. For some reason that coat was really getting on her nerves.

"Leave me alone," he said.

"Take that stupid thing off before you get heat stroke or something," she persisted.

"I said, leave me alone."

"We're in the middle of the desert; it's just doesn't make any sense to be wearing a sweater."

"Okay, I heard you the first three times, now leave me alone. It's my freaking sweater and I choose when I wear it, okay?"

Adelle began to grind her teeth. There wasn't more she could do, but the fact that he hadn't listened to her made her even angrier. "You're just trying to draw attention 'cause you're too small to be seen otherwise."

"Shut up already!" Ed turned around to her and stood right in front of her. They were glaring at each other until Al stepped in and put a hand on both their shoulders.

"What?" they said in unison, turning to Al.

"Brother, I think that's Rose over there," he said, pointing behind Ed.

He turned around and looked down the street. She couldn't see which one was Rose, but there was a girl with pink bangs that certainly stood out. Al began to wave and it was that girl that squinted at them and started to smile and wave back. They met halfway.

"It's nice to see you again," she said with a small laugh. "What are you doing back here?"

"We're here on business," Edward said solemnly. Rose's smile fell. "I've only been briefed about what's happening, but I was hoping you could tell us more."

She began to look around. "We can talk in there," she said pointing to a building with a sign over it. They followed her to it. It was almost empty, but she bowed her head to the few men and women that sat at the tables. They sat down and a young girl came to take their order. "What do you want to know?" Rose asked.

"Is the tension here really all because of that stupid priest? How could he still have so much influence?"

Rose looked down at her folded hands on her lap. "He said it was a conspiracy of the state. Only a few believed him at first, but he started to grow more and more convincing. Those who didn't believe him would beat up anyone who did and vice versa. He's kept making promises and has actually kept his word on some of them, but I know what he is."

"Is that all there is to it?"

She looked up at Ed. "Yes. What else could is there? The military came in after the violence got out of hand. This boy was nearly beaten to death. No one wants them here, though."

"And what about you Rose?" Al asked.

She smiled. "I'm trying my best and walking on my own."

"You're not mad?" Ed's question caught everyone off guard. "This is all my fault. None of this would've happened if I hadn't done anything."

"You're right," Rose said. Ed looked down, shamed. "We would have all been soldiers sacrificing ourselves for a fraud. You did the right thing."

"I'm not so sure," Ed said.

"Say, Edward, you haven't introduced me to you new friend," she said, smiling. She was obviously eager to change the subject, but Adelle would have preferred it not change to her.

"Her name's Adelle. She's a state alchemist, too," Ed said.

"But how? How old are you, Adelle?"

"Just turned fifteen not too long ago."

"I'm sorry," Rose didn't seem able to look her in the face.

It was almost as if she knew. But she couldn't, Adelle thought. "Don't feel sorry for me. I don't need your pity," Adelle said, staring her down. She didn't want anyone to think any less of her. She made a mistake, like humans do, and she was paying for it just like she should. Why should anyone pity her?

"If you all need a place to stay I know the man that works here, you'd have to pay, but he'll give you rooms for a good price," Rose said. She seemed quite fond of changing subjects that didn't suit her.

Edward and Al nodded. "We'd appreciate it," Al said.

"Just one more thing; why are you really here?"

"We heard some rumors," Ed said. "There's a man; an Ishvalan who's killing off state alchemist."

"An Ishvalan?" Rose looked up and scratched her chin. "Well, no one here's seen or heard anything about that.

She was lying, Adelle could tell. There was something in the way her eyes suddenly focused on Ed as she said it, and how she began to twirl her hair around her finger. Adelle stood up, drawing everyone's attention to her. "I'm going to call Wendy," she told Ed and Al. She didn't bother to look at Rose.

Adelle walked over to the counter and talked briefly with the bartender. He had a phone in the back that she could use, for a small fee, of course. Hopefully her sister was home and willing enough to pick up the phone.

It started to ring. Her eyes wandered around the room, cheap wine stacked up neatly on some shelves made specifically for them. There was a stove that wasn't in use and a table that had blood stains from whatever unfortunate animal had become a feast on it.

"Hello?" Wendy picked up.

"Hey, it's Adelle," she said, not really sure what to ask her.

"I kind of figured. Why are you calling?"

Although she couldn't see her, Adelle shrugged in response. "I don't know. How are you?"

"As good as I can be. Look, I have to go, I'm kind of busy," and she hung up.

Wendy was usually cold and distant. She had been different those last few days, but now, since Adelle left her behind, she was back to her usual self. Adelle really didn't want to go back home now. She could help but compare her and sister to the Elric brothers, though. She was certain they never had that problem. They seem so close, so open with each other. She and Wendy, though, it was different.

Most of it depended on Wendy. If she was cold and distant, Adelle acted accordingly. When she was in a better mood Adelle would try and deal with her sister, but to no avail. When Wendy got out of her mood, then things would be fine again. That was rare, though.

But Adelle didn't mind. Wendy resented her for leaving her and their older brother. She wouldn't give her more reason to hate her, though. If she knew of the taboo she had committed, well, they would no longer be sisters, and she couldn't abandon Wendy, even if it were Wendy's choice. It's for her brother's sake.


	8. Chapter 8

**A/N: **_Alright, so yesterday I got a private message from someone, Charles ho. He was asking me some questions about my story, and well, he brought up a good point. Where's Ling Yao? My reply was concise and decided, but I'm afraid that I had completely forgotten about him and May, and Lan Fan, and well, just a whole bunch of people. So, in the next couple of chapters, though not in this one, you'll see them appear. Now, onto the reviews!_

_Pi, thanks for noticing. Whether it's healthy or not, at least you and all of my other readers will be able to enjoy more of it.  
_

_DramaQueen and Evil Robina both of you are just too kind, but if you thought the last chapter was good, then I hope you really like this one. We're finally getting to some action, and you'll see just what lengths Adelle is willing to go to in order to accomplish what she wants._

_Jcurry, it's understandable you can't read every single chapter when it comes out. As long as it maintains your interest, I'm happy. Just review when you can and don't worry about it :)_

**

* * *

**

She sat on the small bed, just staring out the small window. The sun was rising and everything seemed to glow orange. Day two in the desert, she thought. Yesterday, after Rose had gotten them their rooms they, the Elric brothers and she, wandered the streets looking for Scar. They were careful about asking anyone; they didn't want to draw attention, of course, but it resulted in nothing.

Today she wanted to take a different approach. From the beginning she wanted to try it, but the Elric brothers seemed so cautious about it. She didn't understand why, it would be her life on the line, not theirs.

She took the state alchemist pocket watch and put it around her neck, as if it were a necklace. It was her own style, and today it would serve a purpose. The locals wouldn't attack her because they'd be too afraid at this point, but Scar wouldn't miss such a great opportunity. He would come and attack her.

There was a knock at the door. She jumped over to the other side of the bed and went to the door. Al stood there, looking down at her. She hated how difficult he was to read. But at least he was rather predictable.

"You don't have to do this, you know," he said.

"I want to do this," she said with a laugh. She really did, but Al didn't think she was serious. "Look, I just joined the military. Ed might have proven himself, but I haven't. I need to show them I'm not afraid."

"By putting your life in danger?"

"That's no different from you two, and certainly no different than what we've all done in the past," Al didn't bother to retort, but he was still uncomfortable with the plan. "And Al, I'm really sorry, but we can't take you with us either."

"What? Why?"

"I don't know if you've noticed, but you stand out. We need to be inconspicuous, so we need both of you to lay low. If he sees you both there, he won't take the bait." There was no arguing this matter. She had already talked to Edward about it and had even convinced him to wear a disguise as well. "Tell him I'll be waiting downstairs," she said, squeezing between Al and the doorway.

There was no need, though—Ed was standing outside, his hair a darker shade of brown than hers, and his clothes matching the local civilians. His furrowed brows and grinding teeth said it all. "Come on, let's go," he said, leading the way to and down the stairs. No one asked any questions as they saw him, or when they noticed that the large, armored man was not accompanying them.

"Alright, now just follow behind, and make sure to keep your distance."

"Yeah, yeah, just stop giving orders and keep walking. I know what to do," he said, obviously irritated. But she didn't care. She needs to make sure that if anyone's in charge, it's her.

He faded into the crowd, and she kept walking, losing sight of him completely. Now it was time for her to do her work. She knew Ed might have more than some difficulty with this, but he had agreed to go along with it. She hoped she could trust him in that.

She ran into a young boy, possibly a couple years younger than her. "What's your problem?" she screamed at him, pushing him to the ground. Immediately people stopped in their tracks and looked their way. "You trying to steal my stuff, you little shit?" people began to surround them.

The boy was staring at the pocket watch that fell just over her breasts. He was trembling. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean it, it was an accident, I swear!"

"Yeah, that's what they all say," she spat. "Come on, kid, stand up!"

He remained frozen on the ground for some time until she repeated her command. He then jumped to his feet and stood, his whole body shaking. "Please, I didn't do this on purpose," he began.

"Shut up!" He closed his mouth. "If what you're saying is true, hit me."

"What?"

"You heard me!"

"No, I can't do that," he said, stepping back. His eyes began to scan the crowd. He was looking for someone to save him. Everyone just stared in awe.

"You see this thing around my neck? This means I can give you whatever command I want. Now hit me," she said. She knew what everyone saw; a dog of the military looking for a good excuse to fight. She was picking on an innocent little boy, and these people just stood there, watching. "Nobody cares what happens to you anyway, so why are you stalling?" she asked. This struck the boy precisely where she expected. It hurt her, too. Nobody would care for her if he were in that boy's position either.

"Miss, I promise it'll never happen again," he said, but she just laughed. Then, she charged at the little boy, her fist in the air. She had hoped Scar would come before it'd come to this, but it called for drastic measures.

She heard Edward yelling at her, and men and women starting to yell in protest afterward, but something caught them all by surprise. Cloaked in rags, a white hired, red eyed man stood from the crowd, his hood falling, exposing his face. He caught her arm right before she hit the kid.

"Run," he told the boy, not even bothering to look back.

Her instincts kicked in. She leaped in the air and landed on Scar's shoulders, wrapping her legs around his neck. Her fist was still in his, and even though she struggled to choke him, his grip only tightened.

Edward jumped in. He transformed his automail into that sort of knife, the way he had done when he had fought with her. He ran at them but Scar forced her off and put her in front of him. Ed stopped.

Damn it, she thought. She let herself become a burden. "Go for it, what the hell are you waiting for!"

"I don't like hiding behind people like this, but I'm not here to fight, Fullmetal. I have different reasons for my being here," Scar explained. By now he had let go of her arm and pressed her against him with one arm, the other, the arm with the tattoos, was on her head. She was going to die, she thought.

If only she could get her hands together. She tried against the pressure of Scar's arm, but he would hold her tighter yet. She managed to put her hands together though, as if she were in prayer. She reached for the button on her pants and ripped it out, and in a blue flash, it transformed into needle pointed knife. It was long enough for her to puncture Scar's arm with little movement.

He held on, even as he growled at the pain, but his arm weakened for the slightest moment and she pushed herself away from him. Their eyes met for an instant, and before she even knew what was happening, his arm came flying towards her face, knocking her to the ground.

Scar turned and fled, the people allowing him to escape. Some soldiers nearby spotted him and began to shoot, but he ran into a small alley and the soldiers didn't seem capable of following him. This might have been their only chance, and Scar had escaped.

Light-headed, and a giant bruise already forming on her cheek, she stared at the direction Scar had taken. She had let her guard down. If she had only been more attentive to her surroundings she could have been more prepared for Scar.

Edward walked to where she was. "Are you okay?" he asked. "I told you this wasn't a good idea."

"That bastard," she said, still looking down the street. "He's going to pay for humiliating me like that!"


	9. Chapter 9

**A/N: **_Alright, so try and guess who's appearing on the scene in this chapter? I admit, I only introduce her at the very end but you'll be seeing much more of her. Now, reviews:_

_DramaQueen, in my modest opinion, I think she's awesome too ;) I like showing the dark side of characters and not just having them be representatives of pure justice. I want them tempted into evil and occasionally fall into it. Essentially that's what it's all about, isn't it? With the whole trying to resurrect people, I think it's a very important theme to put in here. I just hope I'm a good enough writer to portray the complexity of her personality correctly._

_Evil Robina, here's another chapter, and I'll be updating soon enough too =)_

_BelleBeauty, as my latest reviewer, I'd just like to properly welcome you into the story (if that makes sense). Hope you like it._

_Pi, yeah, Adelle can be a big bully, huh?  
_

**

* * *

**

She looked horrible. In the mirror she kept poking at her bruised and swollen cheek. Why the hell did people always go for her face? It was never her arm, or her stomach, her face was just prone to getting hit by random enemies—well, Scar wasn't so random, but Envy was.

Her arm, the one that Scar had gotten hold of was aching as well; the force with which he pulled at her arm when he through her off of him had left her arm hurting with the slightest movement. Ed and Al had gotten a doctor to see her. He seemed rather uncomfortable treating her, but he still suggested that she use a holster for her arm. Wearing such a thing, though, would be a marker of her failure, and she simply couldn't allow that.

There was a knock at the door. "Come in," she said. It wasn't her habit to leave it unlocked, but she was rather hoping Scar would walk in. She would react quicker next time she saw him. Unfortunately, it was Ed. "What is it?" she asked.

"You're still looking at that thing? It's not going away anytime soon, you know?"

"What are you here for, Fullmetal?" she said. She kept looking at the mirror, but occasionally she'd look at Ed's reflection. He seemed a little uneasy.

"Me and Al decided that it'd be better if you stayed here today," he said.

She laughed. "Afraid I'll be a burden? Don't worry; I'll be working alone today."

"No, you have to stay here. What if you're—"

"You're not my father and you're not my superior, I don't have to listen to you. If something happens it'll be my fault, so you won't have to feel guilty."

"It's not just Scar, you know. When you attacked that kid you made a lot of enemies out there. You took it a little too far, Adelle, and the people aren't happy," he said.

What a liar, she thought. Acting all worried; who the hell did he think he was? If they wanted to work on their own, she'd understand and even respect it, but why did he have to beat around the bush and say it was for 'her safety'. She turned around in her chair and glared at Ed. "You're too freaking soft. I barely even touched that boy; how was that too far? I'm not going to apologize, I did what I have to do."

"You mean you don't feel the least bit guilty about it? You scared him half to deaf, and no one there knew who you were—as far as they knew you might have killed him."

"It's what we wanted, wasn't it? How else would we draw Scar out? I didn't see you with any ideas."

"You really are a dog of the military. You're like the rest of them. You don't give a shit what you do to others as long as you get the job done."

Adelle stood up from her seat and walked over to Edward. They were almost the same height but he was still just an inch taller than her. She tried her best to tower over him. "Don't you come preaching to me! You're part of this fucking military too and you're not any better. We're both dogs, and whatever tricks I have to do for my treat, I'll do it. You're the same; you just want the philosopher's stone," she was yelling at the top of her lungs.

Ed lowered his eyes to the floor. "You're right, we're both dogs. I have to follow their orders and so do you, but I have my limits, and I won't harm some innocent kid just to trap someone. We have our goal, but we're not going to sell our souls for it." He looked back up at her. "And what about you? What's your goal? Why did you join the military?"

"None of your fucking business, that's why!"

"You didn't lose anything, you have your sister, and by now you should know the dead won't ever come back. So, why is it?" She growled and shoved passed him, but he grabbed her arm. "You're not going to try again, are you?"

"Let go of me," her voice was low but menacing. "Now. You don't know anything about me, so don't you try to pretend like you understand me."

"You're just a spoiled brat," he said with mocking chuckle. "Everyone dies, but you still have your own life and your sister's. You didn't lose a couple of limbs, or even your body, and still you keep moping about how horrible your life is."

"Shut up!" she jerked her arm from his grip and turned to face him again. "I told you, you don't fucking know me. Now leave me alone, I don't need anyone, not god, not your dumb little brother, and certainly not you. You do whatever the hell you want, and I'll go my own way."

She turned around and stormed down the hall and down the stairs. She could feel the glares and hear the whispers as she walked past the customers, and once into the street she saw the people stop to look at her. She still had her pocket watch around her neck, but it was better that way. She wanted to feel intimidating; she wanted to feel more powerful right now.

But apparently some people were still not afraid. "Hey, you!" she heard a small cry. She ignored it, thinking it was meant for someone else. When the small, girlish voice repeated it again she stopped and look around. "Down here," it said. She looked down, and there she was.

The girl was barely up to her chest, and she had dark, almond-shaped eyes. Her hair was dark and pulled back into small buns and braids. Her clothes was what caught the most attention, though. It was colorful and a style she'd never seen before. The little girl was a foreigner.

"Hi," she said, waving with a smile. "You look nice, do you think you can buy me some food?"

"You stupid girl!" a man from a stand yelled out. "That's a state alchemist! If you can't pay for it, just leave. I'm sorry—I don't want any trouble," the man said turning to Adelle.

"Please, I'm really, really hungry and my master has been really busy so I need to buy him something to eat too."

"Then why doesn't your master just buy it?" Adelle asked, annoyed. Then she saw a glimpse of the boy from before. She felt a churning in the pit of her stomach. This feeling she recognized all too well. Regret was burning her up as the boy locked eyes with her before quickly turning and running away. She looked back at the little girl. "What's your name?"

"Oh, I'm May Chang."

"Alright, get what you need, I'll buy it for you."


	10. Chapter 10

**A/N: **_This is a far more light-hearted chapter. You won't see any violence or much unfolding of Adelle's character, but I liked writing it as it was, for lack of a better word, sweet._

_Nightmare, welcome to the site and my story. It's great my story has made such an impression on you. I'd just like to know-is this also the first story you're reading on here?_

_Pi-or-Pie, if it was a type-o, I'm sorry, but if you're talking about the boy she saw run away, that was the boy that she was quite ready to beat up before, and so she acts kindly toward May because of the guilt she feels for treating the boy so badly._

_I'm glad most you are glad to see May in here. Hopefully I don't screw up her character, but like I've said (or think I've said) Fan Fiction is always more difficult because you have to characterize the people as they have already been. You have to get their manner of speech and the way they act how you've seen them already._

_Also, I'm loving your reviews on Adelle. IceFire said she was "surprising," Dory-Tox said she had "depth" and was "human," and DramaQueen said she "loves" her and that she's "complex". If you guys keep writing reviews like that, I'm afraid my ego will grow too big for my own short stature. But thank you all VERY much!_

**

* * *

**

The girl with the clinging cat was very needy, but she was far from ungrateful. For every item Adelle bought, May's eyes would light up and look up thankfully at her. It made her feel stupid. Why was she feeding this child? She seemed more than well taken care of. The girl was probably cheating her anyway. She was acting like her brother, gladly wasting money on others.

But this girl reminded her of what her sister had once been. It reminded her of those days when Wendy had been sheltered by everything. The thought of it made her blood boil, her heart ache, and smile all at the same time. It was only an illusion, though. The girl was not at all like her little sister.

"So, where are you from?" Adelle asked. They were both sitting on a bench with a sandwich in hand. There were three bags full of food and ingredients on either side of them.

May swallowed and looked over to Adelle. "I'm from Xing. I came here to look for immortality."

Adelle swallowed hard. She couldn't decide whether to take her seriously or just laugh. She was a child, she thought. She probably crossed the desert with that master of hers, but how could a child be so interested in immortality? Wasn't that a dream for the old? "How did you cross the desert," she asked. She ignored the immortality part, thinking it was only a child's fib.

"Well, with Xiao-Mei it was easy, but it was still a lot of trouble," she said.

"How about your master?"

"Oh, I didn't meet him until after I arrived here."

"You mean to say you crossed the desert on your own?" Adelle just couldn't take her seriously. She stared down the little girl but she only kept looking up with those eyes of hers and nodded. "I'm sorry, but I can't believe you."

"But it's true! I came here to find the philosopher's stone and it's secret of immortality so I can become empress of Xing and help my clan!"

Now she's a princess, she thought. She shrugged. Well, she was a child, after all. "You know, this really isn't a place for a little girl like you. Are you staying in some place safe?" What a stupid question. Was there any safe place in this infernal city?

She nodded, "We're fine. It's not a very comfortable place, but it's safe."

"Hey, what's that thing around your neck?"

"It's a state alchemist pocket watch. Want to see it?" She pulled it from over her head and handed it to her. She awed at it. "I just got it a couple of weeks ago. It's pretty cool, huh?"

"State alchemist? That's what the man was saying before. Wait—you mean like Edward Elric, the Fullmetal alchemist? You're almost as young as him," she said.

Adelle smiled with a bit of pride. "I am younger than him. Granted, he got it when he was younger, but I'm still the better alchemist."

She shook her head. "No, the Fullmetal alchemist is a gentleman and a fighter for the people's ideals!"

Her ego shrunk instantly. She stood up and bent down toward May. "Who's been feeding you those lies? That little runt is just a no-good, meddling kid with no manners whatsoever."

She stared up at her in awe. "You mean you know the Fullmetal alchemist?"

"Know him? I have to work with him and he—a"

"Please, please, please; I have to meet him! Won't you please let me meet him?"

"No!"

"But why?"

"Because you've wasted my day and I'm going back now," she said, turning around and leaving. May followed, struggling with her bags. She had stuffed the sandwich in her mouth so as to free her hands. "Stop following me!"

"No," she said with a full mouth. Adelle sped up and May followed suit.

"Go home, little girl," Adelle yelled at her, her pace now at a jog. She was slowly increasing speed, but May was a strong and resilient girl, and soon enough she was running as fast as she could. She took as many turns as possible in order to lose her, but the girl kept close behind, her little pet holding on to her for dear life.

"Just… just leave," Adelle said, panting. She spread her weight, leaning on a wall with one arm and the other on her lap. May was also panting, but she just stayed there, staring, her chest heaving. "What are you," Adelle asked as she straightened up and glared at May.

Maybe she'll just leave, she thought. She had led her to the inn where she was staying, but there was no way of her knowing that. If Adelle could only bore her into leaving, then she won't have to deal with this child any longer. Why the hell did she have to meet this girl?

"Hey, Adelle," she heard that echoing, childish voice. Alphonse, she thought with a shutter. Edward was standing next to him, eating something from a bowl, and still wearing his red coat. He didn't even look up at her. "Who is this?"

"Well, May, looks like you got your wish. The tin can is Alphonse, and the pipsqueak is Edward—the Fullmetal alchemist." Edward's hands stopped and held tightly onto the bowl, his eyes peering just above it to glare at Adelle. Alphonse could only repeat 'tin can' as if he were about to cry. "You happy now?"

"That's not Edward Elric," she said stubbornly. "He wouldn't be so short, I don't think someone as great as the Fullmetal alchemist would eat like him," she said.

Adelle started to crack up. "You're calling me short, you little ant?" Edward yelled, dropping his bowl and stomping to May, trying to tower as much as possible over her. "I'll have you know I am the Fullmetal alchemist!" he pulled out his pocket watch and just let it swing in front of her face. Adelle could almost see May's heart shatter.

"Brother, please," Al said, trying to hold Ed back. "You have to forgive my brother; he can be a little insensitive at times," he said with a nervous laugh. "What's your name?"

The girl actually blushed! She recovered quickly enough from her disillusion with Edward, that was for sure. "May—May Chang, and this is Xiao-Mei."

It was getting dark now. People began to light their houses and the streets. It became much more silent, and those still roaming the streets were either drunk or on their way home.

"Are you going to be okay walking home by yourself?" Al asked.

"Al, don't waste your time—"

"Yes, I'll be okay," she said. Her eyes seemed so big looking up at Al, and her ears didn't seem to listen to anyone else's but Al's. Adelle never believed in love at first sight, but this was just ridiculous. She turned and went inside, but someone grabbed her hand. She turned to see May again. "Thank you very much," she said.

Adelle smiled down at her. "I wish I could say 'no problem', but I did have fun," she said.

"Well, goodbye, maybe I'll see you all again," she bowed to Alphonse, her eyes lingering on him a while longer, and left, completely ignoring Edward.

"Stupid kid," he said when they were upstairs.

Adelle's smile hadn't faded. "No, I think she's sweet."


	11. Chapter 11

**A/N: **_Yes, I must say, the last chapter was a filler, but necessary to introduce May into the whole thing, since we won't be seeing much of them for a while, so yeah. Just making sure everyone Scar has May by his side at this point. This chapter is a little bit cooler, or at least, I like to think so._

_Confuzzling, huh? Well, I tried to make this one as less confusing as possible, but when it comes to fight scenes and Envy, that's hard to do, so sorry if it came out cofusing again, okay Opal? And by the way, that sounds like a cooler name anyway =)_

_Pi, no I haven't seen it yet. I'm only on episode 60 'cause that's the latest I've found it online. And yes, I know the feeling all to well. It's the same when you finish a book where you get so invested into the characters. For it to end is just a tragedy and I get a bit depressed for a while too, even if it is a happy ending. The real tragedy, however, would've been if it continued into some super long thing that you just got bored of. Once I see the ending, though, don't be surprised if I spend a couple of weeks without updating, okay?_

_IceFire, you thought it was funny? I'm pleased. Hopefully you'll be happier with this chapter, though._

_Riss, again, I must say, 'too kind'. But where are you people seeing the ending to FMAB. The most recent episode of all the sites I know is still only on episode 60._

_DramaQueen, you'll probably like the drama in this chapter ;)  
_

**

* * *

**

Adelle knocked lightly on the door and waited for an answer. None came. "Alright, I'm coming in," she said, and with one deep breath opened the door to Al and Ed's room. Alphonse was nowhere to be seen, but the short, blond kid was lying on the bed, one hand on his bare belly, while he drooled with a funny smile. He looked like such a child, she thought.

"Oh, Adelle," Adelle shrieked and jumped five feet away. But it was only Al returning with his brother's breakfast. Edward had jumped straight up, looking stupidly around the room. Eventually his eyes landed on Adelle who was hiding in a corner.

"What are you doing here?"

"I—uh," she stuttered. Ed's attention quickly drifted to the food, though. "I came to ask if you had reported back to central about our meeting with Scar," she said as Edward began to scarf down his food.

"No way, I'm not going to do it," Ed said after he gulped down a whole mouthful.

"Brother! You said you already called Mustang," Al said, obviously disappointed in his brother.

"I'm not going to be the one to take the heat. You know how pissed he's going to be? 'Fullmetal, if you had been more attentive—' I don't want to deal with that!"

Adelle sighed, emerging from her safe corner. "I'll take care of it, then."

Ed stopped chewing, and Al looked at her intently. "Just like that?" he asked.

"I'm feeling charitable today, so don't get used to it," she said with a smile and walked out. Ed and Al watched her go and then turned to each other. With nothing to say, they both shrugged.

She walked down to the bar, finding the man attending the few patrons sitting there. "Hey, can I use the phone?" The man grunted but nodded. "Thanks." As before she went to the back, this time however, she pulled out a little black book to dial the number. She had many numbers there, but few were new. Most she had written before she ran away.

The phone rang. "Hello?" Roy's voice was unmistakable even on the phone.

"Colonel, it's the Coldtide alchemist reporting from Liore. We confirm the rumors but we have yet to find where he is hiding nor have we been able to catch him—"

"Wow, slow down there. Your orders were simply to confirm the rumors. I'm not about to send the both of you into the lion's den."

"But, sir, if I could just—"

"No. I want you on that train by tonight, you understand? You're not experienced enough to be on such a mission, am I clear?"

She gritted her teeth. "Yes, sir," she growled.

"Perfect. I'll see you all soon, then."

Why did she have to report to that man? Now she has less time to do what she wants. She threw the phone back to its holder. "Damn!" she cursed. Not experienced enough, well, what did he know?

She left the bar, slamming the door on the way out, making heads turn and follow her as she left the building. That bastard, she thought, he'll pay. But once she was out in the street, the sun beating down on her, she realized, she didn't know where to start. All she could do was wander around and hope she ran into him. She touched the pocket watch around her neck. At least this might draw some attention, but why didn't Scar kill her if she was a state alchemist?

She put her hands in her pockets and walked, trying to find as much shade as possible, which was really little as it was noon and the sun was almost directly above them.

"Hey, come back here, you little punk!" she heard an all too familiar voice shout behind her. A boy flew right past her, his head held low, but as she turned around, Wendy passed by her too.

"Wendy?" she shouted.

She turned around for a moment, and even smiled, but her expression quickly changed and turned back to the boy. Immediately Adelle clapped her hands and pressed them against the ground. A wall rose up right before the boy, who stopped in his tracks. Wendy caught up to him, and not as amazed as him, swiped her blue bag from him.

The boy was caught off guard and turned to Wendy in astonishment. He grabbed it again and tried to pull it from her grip but it was no use. Defeated, he ran away into an alley. Wendy laughed with a hand at her hip. She was back in a good mood. "Well that sure saved time," she said.

"Weren't you supposed to be depressed… and back at Central?" Adelle asked as she walked up beside her little sister.

"Huh? Oh, yeah, but can't I visit my big sister?"

"We both know that's not why you're here," Adelle said with a chuckle.

"Fine then! But I'm not telling you a damn thing."

"Fine," Adelle said.

"Fine," Wendy repeated. They both crossed their arms and glared at each other.

Oh, how she missed this. These childish fights with her sister; it was the only time she ever felt close to her. They both threw their heads back and laughed ridiculously, the passer-bys staring at them and rushing the children along.

"Hey, so, have you just been lounging around in the desert?"

"No, I'm looking for Scar," she said defensively.

"They're really going to send some inexperienced kid after him?" she asked.

"Shut up! I'm not inexperienced and I'm not a kid, you got that? I'm going to catch that bastard and prove everyone wrong. I'm going to show everyone I do belong in the military!"

Wendy lowered her head. "You know, belonging in and being in the military are two different things," she said.

"And what's that supposed to mean? Look, if I have a job I'll do it right," she said.

She shook her head. "A job is supposed to support your real life. Do you remember why you're here?"

Adelle stood silent for the longest time until she furrowed her brows and waved her hand. "Whatever, it doesn't matter anymore," she said. She couldn't remember at all, but somehow she felt embarrassed by that. There was no need to, everyone forgets, but she knew this was something too important for it to just let it slip your mind.

"How can you say that?"

"Well, I…"

"You don't remember, do you?"

"Huh, how did you know?" Adelle said, taking a step back from her sister.

"Because you've been forgetting a lot of things. I don't know what's wrong with you, but whatever it is, it isn't normal. Don't you remember that mom told us your dad was a soldier, and you said you'd be one too," she said in a low, eerily calm voice.

Adelle shrugged. "So? That man, whoever he was, was also Daniel's dad too, and that's if she was telling the truth. She probably had too many customers to remember any faces anyway. She probably made up that story for us."

"I don't think she was, but so what if she did? She told it for you. It made you happy and it gave you purpose. Now—why are you even here?"

Adelle spread her legs apart and put her arms out, ready to fight. That question, it struck her deep. Why was she here? She should've been dead, like Brandon, her dear friend. She no longer had much purpose, only some obscure drive to continue on, but no reason for it.

Then Wendy got into a fighting stance as well. This was strange for her. She never learned how to really fight, and ever since Adelle had come back from the North they had never physically fought. She had this scowl on her face that she'd never seen. Still, it felt as if she'd seen it before.

"You're a lot smarter than I expected," Wendy said, but her tone was lower, more controlled than usual. She ran at Adelle, her fist up in the air until she swung at her. Adelle ducked and clapped her hand and touched the ground, but a spear transmuted upward. She grabbed hold of it and swung it at Wendy, expecting her to be scared off, but she jumped back only to charge at her again.

As soon as people saw the fight they started to run away. It wasn't like when Adelle was picking on one of their own. They all knew she was playing games, trying to intimidate them. It was different, now, though. They only saw the bright light, a sharp object, and fast movements. The street was empty now.

Why was Wendy acting this way, Adelle wondered. Her movements were so quick, and whenever she landed a blow on her, they seemed so forceful, so heavy. She wouldn't hit her with the head of the spear, though. She hit her with the flat end, and sometimes smacking the stick across her, but no matter where she hit her, it didn't seem to have an effect on her. She only bounced back up with an eerie smile on her face.

But then there was a weight on her that wasn't Wendy's. It knocked her to the ground, and in a moment she realized that Scar's destructive arm was on her head. Of course, how was he supposed to know this was a family feud?

"Last time I wasn't certain of your role as a state alchemist, but now I am. You have tortured these innocents for the last time!"

She couldn't move. He was on top of her, holding her down. She could only stare, wide eyed, at the runes on his arm. She was going to die. The thought echoed across her mind. She might not have a real purpose, but she wanted to live.

Before Scar could even do anything, he was knocked off of her. She lied there, frozen, unable to comprehend what had just happened. She sat up and saw Scar and a long, spiked her man in a black mid-drift. Wendy had disappeared and the only ones there was Envy and Scar.

But how, she wondered. She was so certain that had been Wendy.

"Look here, you can kill anyone you want, just stay off her and the pipsqueak."

"What are you?"

"All you need to know is I'm not human," he said with that big, arrogant grin of his. What the hell was he doing, he's going to get himself killed, she thought.

But she couldn't find her legs. She couldn't stand.

Envy charged at Scar as he had done to her. Scar grabbed his fist and she saw red sparks. Envy jumped back, his forearm missing. But the injury, it was repairing itself. Even Scar was staring in amazement.

"You impressed?" Envy said, before running at him again. This time he was prepared for Scar's defense and jumped over him, landing behind him. Envy hit him across the back, forcing him forward, almost falling. "Too slow," he grabbed scar by the hair while he was still bent over, and then kneed him in the stomach. Envy punched him in the face but Scar escaped his grip and ran back. But Envy didn't stop for a moment. This time Scar knew better. He ducked Envy's blow and grabbed his leg, blowing it in another shower of red sparks. He took the time to retreat, leaving Envy cursing after him.

Envy sat as his leg built itself up again in smaller red sparks. He grinned up at her. "Looks like the Elric brothers weren't here on time."

"Huh, what do you—"

"Aren't they the heroes that always come for the rescue of a damsel?"

"I'm no damsel," she didn't sound angry. She was looking down at the ground her hands forming fists on her lap. "How did you know all that? Do you read minds too?"

He jumped up and started to kick with his formerly injured leg. "Well, reading yours would be useless, that's for sure."

Adelle gasped and looked up at him. "If you hurt her—"

"Relax, she doesn't even know she was talking to me," he said. That grin of his never faded. She hated it.

"Oh, then, does she really talk about—"

"Adelle!"

"Well that's my queue," he sprinted into an alley as Ed and Al arrived.

"Who was that?" Ed asked looking in the direction Envy had taken off in. It looked like he already had a faint idea. "Hey, wait, what's wrong?" he said looking down at her.

She looked up at both brothers. "What do you mean?" she said, trying to feign a smile.

"You're crying," Al said.

She touched her face and realized that there were tears flowing down relentlessly. She tried to stop them, but she only started to cry with more force. She bowed her head, her hair covering up her face. She wished those two could leave. No one has ever seen her cry in the longest time.

"It's okay," Edward said. She shook her head. "Here, I'll help you up," he said, extending an arm to her. She looked at his gloved hand. Was it his right or his left that had automail? She couldn't seem to remember. But then her bewilderment at his hand turned to anger. She slapped it away.

"I don't need your help," she said. "I don't need anyone's help."

"Adelle…" Al sounded on the verge of tears. He was lucky, though. He couldn't cry, show weakness, even if he wanted to.

"I've made it on my own so far, and I can definitely stand up on my own too."

She could feel her legs now, but they felt weak. Her body felt too heavy for them, and she quavered as she tried to stand. Ed and Al both jumped to her as they saw she was about to fall, but she regained her strength and smacked away their hands. She didn't need help.

"Mustang said we must leave by today," she said. She didn't feel like dying any time soon.


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: **_Wow, almost a week since I last updated. Not my usual speed, but, hopefully, this chapter will be compensation enough. Now, reviews:_

_Pi-or-Pie and Wildfire, thanks for telling me about where to read the mangas, but I think I'll wait until I buy them. There's just something about holding and turning the pages that can't be substituted. That's why I don't have a nook :) As for the anime, yeah, I've been ALL over that since it first came out. It sucks having to wait a week for people to update, though._

_Riss, you really should get to watching brotherhood. It is AMAZING! I know quite a few sites, and though the FUNIMATION channel on youtube is actually two episodes slower than the others (and it gives commercials) I think it's better quality. But hey, let me know when you start watching it and tell me what you think._

_DramaQueen, that couldn't be any further from the truth._

_IceFire, there isn't as much action in this one, but hopefully it won't disappoint._

_Evil Robina, no problem. I'm sure the crime was worth the time, right? As for what Adelle lost, hopefully this chapter clears things up._

_Jcurry, same goes for you, and you're not too far off the mark. It's definitely something intangible. I hope that's not giving too much away :)_

_Well, I hope you all enjoy!  
_

**

* * *

**

She wanted to ask her. Since she returned Wendy hadn't said much except for simple demands. Adelle waited for the perfect time to ask her about Envy, but what was she supposed to say? 'Hey, Wendy, do you talk to the neighbors about me much?' yeah right.

Wendy had been curious about the case with Scar, though. The bruise he had given her when they had fought was still very visible with a yellow and green circle forming around it. Wendy had made a quick joke about it and laughed at her failure, but quickly stopped and withdrew to herself again.

"Hey, do you want to go out for a while?" Adelle asked.

She had expected an outright and frank rejection, but to her surprise, Wendy went along. "Okay," she said.

They left, Adelle making certain that all three bolts were locked. They only passed two or three people in the building, but like always, the people only lowered their head and stared at them suspiciously. Adelle sighed. They'd lived in that place since as long as they could remember but their mother had earned their family a horrid reputation.

"So why are we out here?" Wendy asked as they danced around the people who flocked the streets. This wasn't the best side of the city, but it was certainly the cheapest, and with a good market place filled with stolen goods.

"I wanted to buy some flowers," she said indifferently, looking around for a flower stand.

"What would you need them for?"

"We need some color in the apartment," she explained. Truth was, every month she bought a bouquet of flowers only to choose three of the most beautiful to put by her window. Whether Wendy knew about it or not, she was certain her little sister knew nothing of their meaning. As far as Wendy knew Brandon had moved with his family into some small town. There were only two deaths she knew or cared about.

"You know, I bought some flowers last week," she said.

"Oh, and what happened to them?"

"They withered away," Wendy said. "Hey, look over there," she said, sounding suddenly ecstatic and pointing ahead. For a moment Adelle thought she found a flower stand. "It's Ed and Al!" She started to wave at them. Why was she always so cheerful around strangers?

Al waved back, but Ed only stiffened and glared. He was still angry with Adelle for trying to take on Scar on her own.

Wend ignored it, though. She ran to both of them and even hugged them both. It went without saying that they were caught by surprise.

"Hey, hey, what are you doing?" Ed said, slowly pushing her away.

"What are you two doing here?" Adelle asked, keeping a distance. Why did Wendy act so friendly with people she barely knew?

"We actually came to see you," Al said with small, nervous laugh. "Where were you guys going?"

"We're just taking a walk. What is it you need to tell me?" Ed just looked at the people pushing past them. "Alright, there's a nice little diner not too far. We can talk there."

Wendy was the one who led the way. It was a small restaurant that was only ever busy in the evenings. When they were younger, Daniel used to take her and Wendy to eat there every afternoon. The place only had a few tables but plenty of chairs and seats, and a stage on one wall. They didn't know any better then, so when they had asked their all-knowing older brother, he told them how they would put up plays there at night.

Edward and Alphonse were wide eyed, and focused on the two poles set up on the stage. "Quite a place you know here," Ed said, his voice a little more high pitched than usual.

"Yeah, I used to work here," Adelle said. She couldn't help it.

They didn't find it too funny. "You what?"

"Adelle—" poor Al couldn't even look at her.

"I'm kidding. Wow, I didn't think you guys would take it so seriously," Adelle said with a laugh. "But you two aren't here for jokes. What is it?"

"Back in Liore," Ed didn't waste any time getting to business. "You said Scar was there, and someone else. Do you know it was?" She shook her head. What more was there to say? She had already repeated that story more than twice now. "Well, if he attacked Scar…"

Adelle scoffed. "Don't get your hopes up. Whoever it was he's got interests of his own. He didn't do it out of the good will of his heart." She glared down at the table. That was a mistake. She was speaking too strongly, she sounded certain despite the information she was giving them. "I'm sorry, but if that's all you two came for, I have no other information. I'll go see Mustang again if it makes you feel happy, but let's not see more of each other than we have to."

Wendy playfully punched her sister on her arm. "Oh, come on, we could at least invite them over to dinner—"

"Do whatever you like. I'll go to buy the flowers," she said and stood up, sliding out of her seat. She didn't look back but she heard Wendy chatting away after she said her curt goodbye. What a loving sister, she thought.

She wandered about the streets, being harassed by several vendors, each swearing they had the cheapest price. But she didn't want anything else. She wanted the flowers. After a while she saw an old woman, with a missing tooth, walking about pushing a cart full of flowers. She had all sorts, and if Adelle knew anything about flowers she'd name a few. Unfortunately she could barely tell the difference of a rose from a daisy. But the colors certainly caught her eyes.

"How can I 'elp you pretty lady?" the short, old woman said, spitting as she said 'pretty'. "I gots good prices," she said. Adelle expressed her thanks and started to pick up flowers, and the woman, with a swift hand, took a coned, thick paper and began to assemble a bouquet.

It wasn't quite so pleasant when the old woman gave her 'good price'. She even chuckled! But she deserved it; she should have been more mindful to ask for her prices beforehand. Either way, she handed her the money and thanked her again as she handed her the flowers.

She walked home kicking at any can or rock, muttering about how the old woman cheated her. But she kept thinking of that man, the one who could transform into anyone. How had he gained Wendy's confidence? But she couldn't ask her directly. If she were to relate anything to the Elrics they might know who he is. Envy was obviously very well acquainted with them.

She reached her building and climbed up to her apartment. Wendy was sitting in the hall in front of their door. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"I forgot my keys," she said with a sheepish smile. Her good humor was still intact, for now, at least.

Adelle walked and Wendy stood up. She opened the door and her little sister followed her in. "Hey, Adelle," she said. She turned around and saw her sister closing the door, but with the gravest face she had seen her with. "Can I ask you something?"

"Shoot."

"Why won't you put the pictures back up?"

Adelle turned back around and walked into the kitchen. She hadn't been prepared for that question. "Because they give me a headache," she said. It wasn't a lie. The last time she looked through the pictures, her head felt like it would explode.

"Do you remember mom?"

"I'd hardly call her a mother," Adelle said angrily. Why wouldn't Wendy drop the questions already?

"If you _did_ remember you wouldn't say that. Just tell me, can you even remember what she looked like, or what she'd tell us every night?"

"Why are you asking me all of this? Of course I remember!" Adelle shouted. She was so indignant by her sister's interrogation she threw the flowers with all her force at her sister's feet.

"What was it she'd tell us?" Wendy said. Her hands had become fists at her side and her head was bowed, her bangs covering her eyes. "What would she tell us every night before going to bed, Adelle? What did she tell us?"

"She'd say—" she stopped. "She'd say," she kept stuttering on that part. She couldn't get beyond it. Did her mother ever have such a routine with them? Didn't she just do her job in the streets and come back and drink in her room. The only thing she could remember now was a cheap bottle of booze and a hand wrapped around it. But her mother's face was blurry, and her voice, her way of speaking, it was lost to her. "I don't need to prove myself to you!"

"She'd say: 'don't _ever_ be a victim; don't _ever_ let them tell you what to do, and don't _ever_ knock anyone down. Be a hero whenever you can.'" Adelle saw a tear fall down to the floor. "Do you remember what Danny would say?"

Again, Adelle tried to remember. She saw a little more of her brother. He worked on automail and tucked them in, but why was his face so blurry? Why did his voice sound so distant? She could barely make him out a smile.

"Don't listen to her, he would say. 'It's not whenever, it's always,' he'd say that especially to you," she said, her voice shaking somewhat. "And do you remember what you'd say?" Wendy's voice had grown low and cold.

This much she could remember. She didn't really recall anything of what Wendy said, but she just knew how to answer, like a cat just knows to hunt mice. "I'll be a hero. I'll save us," she had been three when she would say that, and she didn't realize what her mother, and brother who was at least ten years older than her, were trying to tell her. But she had taken that promise seriously.

"I want the pictures back up," she said finally.

Adelle shook her head. It gave her a chill just to think of seeing those faces. It gave her a falling sensation and made her feel lightheaded. "No," she said trying to see straight, but there were circles all over, the kind you see after staring directly at the sun. "I can't do that."

"You can't or you don't want to? I'm not going to burry my damn memories like you, Adelle. Just because you feel guilty—"

"What?" did she know, she wondered.

"You've said it yourself, when you came back, it's your fault. If you'd never left—"

"I never said that," Adelle said, her hands wrapping themselves around her stomach.

"So you don't remember that either? If you don't want to see the damn pictures, then just leave."

Adelle didn't object to it. She stumbled out the door, and once Wendy had shut it behind her, she leaned against the wall and stared the down the floor. Why did it hurt so much? She tried to remember again, but when she got near to seeing their faces, she began to puke.

She left the building and kept wandered the streets, her feet dragging. She could get a room at headquarters. At least she had the excuse that she was sick.


End file.
